Questions & Answers about Tôi đọc trang này.
Why is the sentence order Tôi đọc trang này and not something like Tôi trang này đọc?
Vietnamese basic word order is usually Subject + Verb + Object, just like English.
- Tôi = I
- đọc = read
- trang này = this page
So:
- Tôi đọc trang này. = I read this page.
Putting trang này before đọc would sound unnatural in a normal statement.
What does tôi mean exactly, and can I always use it for I?
Tôi is a common way to say I in Vietnamese, but Vietnamese pronouns are more socially sensitive than English ones.
Tôi is:
- neutral
- polite
- common in standard textbook Vietnamese
However, in real life, Vietnamese often uses pronouns based on:
- age
- relationship
- social role
- level of respect
So tôi is safe in many situations, but native speakers may often use other words for I depending on who they are talking to.
Does đọc mean read in the present tense only?
No. Vietnamese verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.
đọc can mean: